Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan shows his displeasure with a call on a shot clock violation during the first half against Iowa on Feb. 9, 2011 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. (Brian Ray/ SourceMedia Group News)

IOWA CITY -- Fans hardly need a Google search to find a reason why the Iowa-Wisconsin basketball series has more flavor than tailgate bratwurst.

There's Ben Brust bolting from his Iowa recruitment for Wisconsin four years ago. Or Jarrod Uthoff leaving Wisconsin for Iowa two years ago. You can add Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery's ejection in January, or Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan's sideline demeanor. Sprinkle in the tied series, border rivalry, national rankings, Big Ten standings and national television, and you get the idea.

Yet for the players, Saturday's showdown boils down to one aspect: beating a competitive rival for the sake of winning. Period.

"I think sometimes thatís hard in todayís world, in the hype of thinking about the future, thinking about standings, thinking about what youíre going to do after the game, about your career as a whole," Iowa junior Aaron White said. "It comes down to youíre just playing a game of basketball and thatís the fun part of it.

"Youíre playing an intense game between two teams that are really going to get down and compete and itís just a lot of fun. Thatís what it comes down to. The game of basketball is having fun, playing hard, competing and you know thatís what it will be."

In the big picture, Saturday's game carries extreme importance to both squads. No. 15 Iowa (19-6, 8-4 Big Ten) sits one game in the loss column behind Michigan and Michigan State in the league standings. No. 18 Wisconsin (21-5, 8-5) is two back. Today's game has ramifications for a shot the regular-season title, a higher seed at the Big Ten Tournament and possibly a better location next month in the NCAA tournament.

The 105-year-0ld series is tied 79-79. Since McCaffery took over at Iowa, it's tied 3-3. Iowa has scored 409 in those six games. Wisconsin has scored 408. Two games ended in overtime and one other was decided by one point.

While the facts are impressive and the rivalry is undeniable, it has no impact on how either coach views the series.

"Itís neighboring states," Ryan said. "In the game of basketball, it is hard to say itís one team that has more a rivalry than another team when youíre situated where Wisconsin is and where Iowa is. Itís the conference.

"I donít get into that. Youíd have to ask other people more about meanings or rivalries or things like that."

Brust originally signed with former Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter but was released from his scholarship after Lickliter was fired. He's a pivotal player for the Badgers and sits just two points shy of 1,000.

In the teams' Jan. 5 game at Kohl Center, Brust was held scoreless in the first half. He then missed only one shot in the second half and scored 19 points in a 75-71 Badgers' win.

"His ability to make the dagger 3 has been impressive over the years," McCaffery said. "Not everybody can do that."

Uthoff red-shirted at Wisconsin in 2011-12, then chose to transfer after the season. It ignited a high-profile battle, and Uthoff was restricted from attending another Big Ten school on scholarship for one year. Uthoff still picked Iowa, paid his own way and sat out. He's played in all 25 Iowa games and ranks third in scoring at 8.3 points and fourth in rebounding at 5.0 rebounds a night.

In the teams' previous meeting, Iowa led 35-24 at halftime but fizzled to start the second half. McCaffery quickly picked up two technical fouls and was ejected. Wisconsin caught up and pulled out the win. McCaffery later was suspended one game for the outburst.

The past adds context to a rich series. But when the ball tips at 11 a.m., that history evaporates. It's about the present, which is much more important to the players.

"We know what we need to do," Iowa's Devyn Marble said. "We know what kind of challenge they present. We know itís an important game. We know, even though weíre at home, weíve got to come out with the same intensity and energy we would if we were on the road. I think thatís what itís going to come down to, who wants it more, to be honest."

"I love playing them," White said. "I like playing against the best and Coach Ryan has them, theyíve been in the top four of the Big Ten for the past however many years so theyíre one of the best in our league."

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